New Brunswick Zoning Board Approves 18-Unit Building on Jersey Avenue

NEW BRUNSWICK – A developer's plan to raze a deteriorating structure at 72 Jersey Ave. and build a four-story, 18-unit residential building in its place was approved by the city’s Zoning Board on Monday.

A company named 72 Jersey Avenue, LLC will construct a midrise building with six studio apartments, six one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units.

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The ground floor will include a vestibule, a lobby, an amenities area, an elevator and 11 parking spaces that will be mostly covered by the building.

It will be built on a 7,500-square-foot lot at the corner of Jersey Avenue and Delavan Street, adjacent to the new Blanquita B. Valenti Community School.

The developers said they hope this project kick-starts further residential development – often referred to as infill in the development industry – along the Jersey Avenue corridor.

“I am grateful that the city's Zoning Board recognized the value to the community of this project for the Jersey Ave. redevelopment process,” said property owner Brian Katz. “I am confident that this new building will significantly raise the bar for residential housing options in the area and my hope is that this will help set the tone for other new development projects in the neighborhood. I am a firm believer that rising tides raise all ships.”

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Added Mitchell Broder, president of Construction Management Associates: “While we have completed many successful redevelopment projects in the 5th and 6th ward areas of New Brunswick, we have yet to venture into the Jersey Avenue corridor. This is a rapidly growing and important section of the city. Unfortunately, it is an area that lacks new and modern housing options. That being said, we were thrilled by the opportunity when brought in by the property owner to work on this fabulous new redevelopment project. The scale and quality of this project is right in our wheelhouse.”

The plan received a use variance at Monday’s meeting since the property is in the C-2B Community Commercial Zone. It also received variances for front-yard setback, rear-yard setback, building height, building coverage, impervious surface coverage and parking.

The plan includes 11 physical parking spaces, plus credits for three more for electrical vehicle spaces. Under city guidelines, 26 were required.

Andrew Vischio, the engineer for the applicant, citing 2022 census data, said 42% of residents of the neighborhood drive to work in a single-passenger vehicle. The remaining workers will walk, take public transportation, commute by carpool, cab or rideshare or work from home.

The New Brunswick Train Station is about a 15-minute walk from the building, and there are Middlesex County Area Transit and NJ Transit bus stops about a half-mile away, Vischio said.

He also said a traffic study showed there would be about one vehicle entering or exiting the building’s driveway on Delavan Street every eight to nine minutes during the morning and afternoon rush hours.

“It’s certainly not a high amount of traffic that would be generated by this site by the site by any standard,” he said.

The developers said work on the project could start as soon as a year from now.

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